DANZ Announces 2019 Dance Residencies in Rotorua & Christchurch

Caitlyn Davey, the first DANZ Dance Residency Recipient January 2019

Dance Aotearoa New Zealand (DANZ) is delighted to be announcing two dance residencies in October and November of this year. DANZ will offer the Māori Dance Residency (Te Kanikani Whakamātau) in partnership with Lakes Performing Arts Company (LPAC) in Rotorua, and a new DANZ Dance Residency in partnership with The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora in Christchurch.

Sheryl Lowe, DANZ Executive Director says, “DANZ is excited to be able to deliver these residencies in the provincial centres for the first time, and to be offering valuable platforms for artists to explore and expand their choreographic expression”.

As the national service organisation for the dance in Aotearoa, DANZ works to develop and deliver professional and creative development opportunities for artists. Residencies in particular are highly valued by artists, and play an integral part in supporting and growing a resilient dance sector in Aotearoa New Zealand.

“These projects fill a vital gap and respond to a need for more dance development platforms for independent dance artists. We have seen the direct and positive impact of residencies on the professional growth of past recipients, all of whom have utilised them to develop their choreographic practice and gone on to produce stunning and highly acclaimed works”, says Sheryl.

DANZ will partner with local Rotorua dance studio LPAC to deliver the Māori Dance Residency, supported by the Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust. As a hub for Māori arts and culture, Rotorua was an obvious choice to host the residency, which will be held at the LPAC studios from 21 October – 1 November 2019. Te Kanikani Whakamātau aims to expand the choreographic expression of Māori dance artists in Aotearoa reflecting their artistic vision in the 21st century. The successful artist will have access to rehearsal space at LPAC, the opportunity to work with additional dancers and access to a dance mentor throughout the two week period. At the end of the residency the artist will present what they’ve generated in the form of a public showing and/or discussion.

LPAC Director, Rebecca Brake, says: “LPAC is thrilled to be supporting DANZ with the upcoming Māori Dance Residency as a venue sponsor. As a local dance organisation, we are very excited to see DANZ’s plan to bring Te Kanikani Whakamātau to Rotorua and the Bay of Plenty region. This project will be very important for the support and growth of dance in Rotorua as it creates another accessible opportunity for our community to enjoy the extensive benefits of dance, and provide platforms that will expand opportunities for practitioners to develop their craft and outreach”.

DANZ will also work with Te Puia, home of the Māori Arts and Crafts Institute who will provide the venue for a community event/public showing arising out of the residency.

Tim Cossar, Te Puia CEO says, “Encompassing the movement forms of tangata whenua is an important part of our programme. Te Puia is a major sponsor of the bi-annual Te Matatini Kapa Haka Festival, and we welcome this opportunity to work with DANZ to support dance in another way. We can see the potential of this to enhance our existing programme of cultural performances to provide audiences with enriching and entertaining experiences of our fascinating culture”.

Previous recipients of Te Kanikani Whakamātau, include Bianca Hyslop (2016) and Tru Paraha (2018), who are both presenting works in the forthcoming Tempo Dance Festival to be held 2-12 October.

In an exciting new collaboration between DANZ and The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora, the second DANZ Dance Residency will also be hosted over two weeks in Christchurch. The residency is set to take place in November in alignment with the inaugural Ōtautahi Tiny Performance Festival (30 November), curated by Movement Art Practice (MAP). The DANZ Dance Residency is aimed at an independent dance artist seeking to develop their practice and is part of DANZ’s strategy to further expand its support to the professional dance sector. The first DANZ Dance Residency, which took place at Saint Kentigern College in Auckland earlier this year, was awarded to Unitec graduate Caitlin Davey, who will be presenting her work About Others at the TEMPO Dance Festival in October.

DANZ invites applications from dance artists of all backgrounds. Interested artists can find out more about each residency on the DANZ website.